Parental mourning and children's behavior

This article alerts professionals to sibling death as a possible reason for behaviors exhibited by young clients. Aside from their own grief, children are affected by parental mourning over a child's death and accompanying changes in the family environment, Children show their distress in a variety of behaviors, some of which appear to be unrelated to the loss. Four areas of concern are presented with case illustrations: cognitive distortions, reactions to parents' distress and preoccupation with the loss, being a replacement child and effects of parents' failure to work through their grief. Suggestions for helping children and parents include using a genogram for identifying loss, helping the family talk about the death, and providing a support group for children.